“ON TINNED AIR”

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 281, 17 February 1928, Page 9

“ON TINNED AIR”

SUBMARINES’ STORMY VOYAGE AUSTRALIAN’S PROMOTION By Cable.—Press Association. — Copyright. Reed. 11.30 a.m. LONDON, Thurs. According to information from Gibraltar, the crews of the two Australian submarines, Oxley and Otway, were virtually prisoners below, during the whole voyage from England. It was so stormy that the submarines really made the run submerged. Not only did they have to live on tinned food, but on “tinned air” as well. The Oxley’s commander, Lieutenant F. E. Getting, R.A.N., has been promoted to Lieutenant-Commander. He had the advantage of being trained under the famous submarine commander, Max Horton. When in command of submarine E. 9, Captain Max Horton, R.N., torpedoed the German light cruiser Hela at Heligoland in 1914, and the cruiser Prinz Adalbert in 1915. He also sank three German destroyers, two transports and several merchant ships. For his war services he was awarded the D.S.O. and two bars, and was specially promoted to commander. _ Lieutenant-Commander Getting Is one of the first Australian-trained officers .to reach this rank. He entered the Royal Australian Naval College in 1913 with the first term of cadet-midshipmen trained there. He went to sea as a midshipman in 1917 and after service with the Grand Fleet in *the North Sea, was promoted to sub-lieutenant in 1918. In 1919 he returned to Australia in one of the six J-class submarines presented to the Commonwealth by the Admiralty after the war.